Chettinad Chaska!

By Ausmita

An
overnight train from Chennai brought us to Chettinad. Hopping off, we noticed
that only four or five other people had alighted there.

The place
we were supposed to stay at, had called us back the previous evening to ask how
we planned to get to Kanadukathan (our final destination) from the railway
station. I had answered nonchalantly that we will simply take an auto or a taxi
(like we do everywhere else duh!). The person at the other end had dismissed
this with an amused tone and went on to say that he will send an auto to fetch
us from the station. I had thought this to be unnecessary but finally agreed to
the humble pick up arrangement.

Stepping
out of the station now under the slanting rays of the rising sun, we realized
how naïve we were to assume we could just sashay out of Chettinad station and
hitch an auto to get to our destination.
There were only two autos and a private vehicle waiting outside the
station which appeared to have been booked in advance by the other travellers.

The fifteen
minutes journey from Chettinad railway station to the heritage village of
Kanadukathan was a bumpy one. As the auto rickshaw slowly made its way through
what was left of the road, we passed crumbling boundary walls and majestic
gates of what might have been grand estates at one time, now lost to
wilderness. It was the tales of these grand estates and palaces that had
brought us to Chettinad.

The Chettinad
region; synonymous with spicy aromatic
food prepared from freshly ground masalas; originally consisted of about 96
villages spread over an area of 600-1500 sq mile in the Sivaganga district of
Tamil Nadu. It is this that Chettiars, a prosperous banking and business
community of South India, claim as their traditional home. The Chettiars were
successful maritime traders who became immensely prosperous by trading in salt
and rice in the South East Asia, especially Burma. Unofficial figures put the total
number of these palaces in Chettinad, each covering 30,000 to 40,000 sq feet
area at 11,000.

Fuelled by
the handsome returns from maritime trade, the Chettiars left no expenses spared
in opulently decking up their palaces with Italian Marble, Burmese Teak,
Belgian glass, intricate iron grills, ornate carvings and colourful Athangudi
tiles indigenous to the region. However, the Japanese occupation of Burma
during the Second World War was a blow to their business. Unable to repatriate
their wealth, most suffered terrible loses. The direct impact of this was felt
on the maintenance and upkeep of their mansions.

The sun was
high in the sky when we finally managed to step out for the tour of the village.
Home to about 70 Chettiar mansions, Kanadukathan is a virtual ghost town with most
Chettiar families having migrated abroad or to one or the other major city of
India over a period of time. Even in broad daylight, the streets of
Kanadukathan fortified by the high walls of the mansions on either side were practically
empty except for a stray cycle or a hunched old man slowly walking past. Most
palaces are in various stages of disrepair. However, the few that are still
painstakingly maintained by respective families are a living testament to the
grandeur of the past.

Our first
stop, a regal whitewashed mansion with bright colours accentuating the edges
and windows, suitably called the Rajah’s palace. The only opening in its high
compound wall, an equally high grill gate was latched from inside. We peered
inside. A short distance away, a guard was perched on a stool next to an
enormous wooden double door. I put up a smiling face, stepped up to the gate
and yelled out in faltering Tamil, “Anna, Veedu pakhre” and hoped that he
understood that we wanted to take a look at the mansion. Evidently he had come
across several such “curious cutlets” in his days of perching outside that
door. He replied almost reflexively, “No. No. Close aaich.”

We moved on
to try our luck at the next imposing mansion but were met with the same
response till we wandered into Chettinadu Mansion, a heritage hotel. The owner,
a genial elderly gentleman was lounging in the one of blue sofas in the
grandiose reception hall with a chequered floor and white arches supported by enormous
black marble pillars. He saw us as we were climbing up the stairs of the porch
and gestured us to come inside. Elated, we stepped in. He was as curious about
us, as we were about him and his house. After taking us through the history of
Chettinad and Chettinadu Mansion, he gave us a free hand to wander through the
open sections of the house.

We were
awestruck. Beyond the Reception Hall, also known as “marriage hall”, was a
series of successive courtyards connected by doors that lined up straight from
the entrance to the back of the house. Each courtyard was surrounded by wide
verandas and rooms on all four sides. The first courtyard had bedrooms or
private living quarters of the family members spread across two floors. The
doors were intricately carved with figures of gods, goddesses and apsaras. The
verandah on the upper floor was surrounded by ornate blue and white wrought
iron grills. The next courtyard, meant for dining purposes was simpler and the
last courtyard had store rooms and kitchen. Next day we visited a few more
mansions. What struck us most was that all houses, despite their similar layout,
had their own unique architecture and décor. In fact, sometimes the décor and
the materials used change from courtyard to courtyard in the same house as a
result of continued construction over several years and generations.

Each house
in Kanadukathan is a veritable portal into the golden age of Chettiars and
their exploits all over the world. We returned with a camera full of memories. Our
only lament is that these portals are quickly shutting down and soon Chettinad
and its palaces will probably only exist in hearsay.

***

Author Bio:Ausmita and her husband, Praneet are avid travelers. But with work and life often playing spoilsport with their travel plans, they devised a cunningly simple work around - Weekend Trips. WanderfulWeekendz is a living chronicle of their weekend sojourns. For more weekend sojourns off the beaten track, read and follow their Blog and Facebook Page.

Glad you enjoyed reading this. Most of the stay options in Chettinad are heritage buildings and hence tariff is in the range of 5 to 6K. There is Chettinadu Mansion, Chettinadu Court and a few other that you will find on Tripadvisor. For what to see in and around Chettinadu, please see: https://wanderfulweekendz.wordpress.com/2016/11/03/chettinadu-chaska/

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